Using photos is probably one of my favorite ways to decorate. Photos are simple, unique stories that capture a moment that you can save forever. When decorating with photos, they don’t have to be of professional quality, all they have to do is speak to you. The other day, I was going through my photo library, revisiting my travels over the past couple of years. Peter Island, Kona, Paris, Cinque Terre, Sienna, Salzburg, Munich…and the list goes on. I seem to forget how many amazing pictures I have taken over the years. Every time I visit my photo library, I realize that I should have some of these memories displayed around my house so that I can see them each and every day!
The challenge: To actually take those photos that I love out my photo library and have them framed or printed onto a canvas.
Sometimes I have to go through thousands pictures to find 5 or 10 worthy of displaying. But the end result of having a memory as part of your home, either hanging on a wall or resting on a shelf in my living room is definitely worth it! I had to devise a plan, establish a few steps to actually get my project going…otherwise those photos would still be sitting in my photo library, lost among the thousands.
Here are a few tips that I used to get me started:
- Don’t overwhelm yourself; choose no more than 5 photos to start your project. Pick photos that speak to you, that evoke emotion and that compliment the color scheme in the room.
- Upload those photos to your favorite online printing place. (I recommend trying a canvas print from ScanDigital, they are AMAZING! http://www.scandigital.com/harvest/)
- Play with your photos. Keep the color version of the photo or convert it to black and white or sepia. Or add text. Just have fun with your photos.
- Choose the size of your photo(s) prints. Consider your space- for example, you don’t want to clutter a small wall with huge prints.
- Frame them! If you decide to have the photo professionally framed, Michaels offers an inexpensive framing service or just ask your local framer!
Happy decorating!
Oh, but don’t forget about digital frames! They can really take a lot of hassle out of the framing and indecision as to ‘which one should I choose’ moments. Happy decorating fo sho!